1 9 4 2
June
Post refit trials and commissioning.
29th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
30th
Passage to Scapa
Flow
to work-up for operational service.
July
1st
Arrived
at Scapa
Flow
to begin work-up with ships of the
Home Fleet.
August
Work-up in continuation with
Home Fleet.
26th
Passage
to Rosyth with HM Destroyers OFFA,
ECLIPSE and INGLEFIELD to escort HM
Battleship HOWE to Scapa
Flow.
(Note: HMS HOWE had just completed
final fit of radar completed storing
ready for service at
Rosyth where she
was to begin work-up.)
29th
Returned to Scapa
Flow
with HMS HOWE and escorting
destroyers.
September
2nd
Deployed
to provide cover during minelay by ships
of 1st Minelaying Squadron in Northern
Barrage
(Operation SN89 – For details of all
minelaying operations see Naval Staff
History (Mining).)
8th
Provided
Distant Cover with HM Battleships ANSON
and DUKE OF YORK during passage of
Russian Convoy PQ18 to Kola Inlet and
return Convoy QP14 from North
Russia.
(Note: Cover was also provided for an
operation to support the allied garrison
on Spitzbergen
Operation GEARBOX and during this
phase the ship was deployed with HM
Destroyers
BRAMHAM, KEPPEL, MACKAY and MONTROSE..
For details of all Russian Convoy
operations
see CONVOYS TO RUSSIA by RA Ruegg,
THE RUSSIAN
CONVOYS by
B Schoefield,
CONVOY ! by
P Kemp, ARCTIC
CONVOYS by R Woodman.)
24th
Returned to Scapa
Flow
with Home Fleet units.
October
Deployed with 10th Cruiser
Squadron, Home Fleet.
9th
Present
at Scapa
Flow
during visit to Home Fleet by Prime
Minister and Sir Stafford Cripps.
Took part in
exercises including bombardments as
part of visits programme.
Following visit deployed at Scapa
Flow for support of capital ships and patrol in NW
Approaches.
Nominated for support of planned
allied landings in North
Africa
as part of Central
Naval Task
Force (Operation TORCH)
27th
Passage
to Gibraltar
with HM Cruiser DELHI,
HM Aircraft Carrier ARGUS, HM Escort
Aircraft
Carriers BITER and
DASHER for support of TORCH landings.
November
Prepared for support duties at Gibraltar.
8th
Deployed
with HM Landing Ship (Infantry) LARGS,
HMS BITER, HMS DASHER, HM
Cruisers AURORA
and DELHI
for support of landings by 1st US
Rangers and 1st
Armoured
Division at Oran.
9th
In
action with HMS AURORA with Vichy French
destroyers TRAMATONE, TORNADE,
TYPHON and EPERVIER during which the
attempt to interfere with landings was
repulsed.
EPERVIER was hit, set on fire and
driven ashore and TYPHON withdrew after
being damaged..
10th
Bombarded
coastal batteries with HM Battleship
RODNEY and HMS AURORA which resulted
in final
surrender at Oran
following the bombardment of harbour
consequent on
failure of the
attempt to
negotiate future use of Vichy
warships.
(For details see RELUCTANT ENEMIES by
W
Tute,
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C Barnett and the Naval
Staff History)
14th
Released
from TORCH and took passage to resume
Home Fleet duties.
20th
Deployed at Scapa
Flow
for Squadron service in Home Fleet.
(Note: Operational experience had
shown that bridge area including radar
aerial unit was subject
to
significant Blast effect from forward
armament. Aerial was subsequently
re-sited on
a foremast
platform.)
December
Home Fleet deployment in
continuation.
17th
Deployed
with HMS SHEFFIELD,
HM Destroyers MUSKETEER and MATCHLESS as
Force
R for Russian Convoy escort and cover
duties.
19th
Joined
escort for Russian Convoy JW51A with HMS
SHEFFIELD, HM Destroyers BEAGLE,
MATCHLESS and
OPPORTUNE.
24th
Detached
from JW51B and took passage to refuel at
Murmansk
25th
At Murmansk
with ships of Force R. Anchored in Varenga
Bay
27th
Passage
with Force R ships to provide cover for
final stage of passage into Kola Inlet
of
Convoy JW51B.
31st
Took
part in action against German warships,
the battleship LUTZOW, cruiser HIPPER
and six
destroyers
with HMS SHEFFIELD which were intending
to attack JW51B.
Engaged destroyer
RICHARD BEITZEN which turned away in
poor visibility.
Subsequent attack by LUTZOW damaged HMS
OBDURATE and a mercantile in JW51B.
(For details o the Battle
of the Battle
of the Barents
Sea
see 73 NORTH by D Pope
and the
Naval Staff
History.)
On release resumed patrol with ships
of Force R as cover for passage of
return convoy RA51.
1
9 4 3
January
1st
Cover
for passage to RA51 to Iceland
in continuation.
4th
Arrived
at Seidisfjord
after relief of Force R cruisers by
HMS KENT
and HMS BERWICK.
8th
Passage
to Scapa
Flow
to resume Squadron duties.
31st
Nominated for detached service for
interception of Blockade
Runners in Atlantic.
February
Deployed for interception
patrols in area of Azores.
On completion of second patrol took
passage to Scapa
Flow
to resume Home Fleet duties.
March
Released for replacement of gun barrels
and took
passage to Barrow.
Under repair at
Vickers Armstrong shipyard in Barrow.
April
Resumed Squadron duties for Home Fleet
interception duties in NW Approaches
May
Home Fleet deployment at Scapa
Flow in continuation.
to
Nominated
for refit at Portsmouth.
June
July
Taken in hand for refit by HM Dockyard,
Portsmouth.
August
Under refit.
September
Post refit
harbour and sea trials.
18th
Resumed Squadron duties in Home Fleet.
October
Home Fleet interception patrol
and operations off Norwegian coast in
continuation.
November
2nd
Deployed
with HM Battleship ANSON, HM Aircraft
Carrier FORMIDABLE, HM Destroyers
ONSLOW and VENUS,
US
destroyers USS CAPPS and HOBSON, HM
Canadian
Destroyer
HAIDA and Norwegian destroyer STORD
to provide Distant Cover for passage of
return
Convoy RA54A from Kola Inlet to Loch
Ewe.
8th
Resumed
Home Fleet duties with Squadron at Scapa
Flow.
19th
Provided
Cruiser Cover with HMS KENT
and HMS BERMUDA during passage of
Russian
Convoy JW54A from Loch
Ewe to Kola Inlet.
24th
On release from cover of JW54A resumed
Home Fleet Squadron
duties.
27th
Provided
Cruiser Cover with HMS KENT
and HMS BERMUDA during passage of
Russian
Convoy JW54 from Loch Ewe to Archangel and return Convoy RA54B from Archangel to
Loch
Ewe.
December
3rd
Released
from cover duties and took passage to Scapa Flow to resume
Home Fleet service.
15th
Deployed
with HM Battleship DUKE OF YORK,
HM Destroyers SAVAGE, SAUMAREZ,
SCORPION and Norwegian destroyer
STORD to provide Distant Cover during
transit of
Russian Convoy JW55A during passage
from Loch Ewe to Kola Inlet.
(Note: Presence of HMS DUKE OF YORK had been decided by the perceived threat of an
attempt by
German battlecruiser SCHARNHORST to
attack a convoy to North
Russia).
16th
Passage
with HMS DUKE OF YORK
and destroyer screen to Murmansk
from Kola Inlet for
visit by CinC
Home Fleet to CinC
of Soviet
Northern Fleet.
18th
Sailed from Murmansk
to Akureyri,
Iceland
with same ships.
21st
Arrived
at Akureyri.
23rd
Sailed
with same ships, as Force 2 to provide
Distant Cover for passage of Russian
Convoy
JW55B during passage to Kola Inlet
and that of the return convoy RA55A
which was on
passage from
Kola Inlet to UK.
(Note: CinC
had been convinced following receipt of
ULTRA signals
about German warship
movements
that an attack by SCHARNHORST on JW55B
was intended.. See above
references.
Naval Staff History and KING GEORGE V
BATTLESHIPS by VE
Tarrant.)
24th
Carried
out exercises with HMS DUKE OF YORK and
destroyers to simulate the procedures
intended for
use in the event of an attack.
26th
Took
part in sinking of SCHARNHORST with HMS
DUKE OF YORK, HM Cruisers
BELFAST,
SHEFFIELD
and Home Fleet destroyers escorting
JW55B after the
German
warship was
sighted and engaged by the Home Fleet
cruisers supplementing escort.
(For details see
above references.)
28th
Took
passage from Murmansk
to Scapa
Flow
with HMS DUKE OF YORK and destroyer
screen after
refuelling.
(Note: The 36 survivors from
SCHARNHORST returned to UK
in HMS DUKE OF
YORK.)
31st
Arrived at Scapa
Flow
to tumultuous reception from Home
Fleet ships.
1
9 4 4
January
Passage to Rosyth for repair
to battle damage
February
20th
Resumed Home Fleet duties at Scapa
Flow.
26th
Deployed
with HM Cruiser BERWICK and Polish
cruiser ORP DRAGON to provide cruiser
cover during
passage of Russian Convoy JW57 from UK
to Kola Inlet.
28th
Resumed
Squadron duties when cover requirement
ended.
March
Home Fleet deployment in continuation.
29th
Joined
HM Aircraft Carrier FURIOUS, HM Escort
Aircraft Carriers EMPEROR,
SEARCHER and FENCER, HM Cruisers
ROYALIST and SHEFFIELD
with destroyer
screen and
formed Force 2 to provided Distant Cover
for passage of Russian Convoy JW58
and return
Convoy RA58.
April
1st
Detached
with destroyer screen to join HM
Battleship ANSON, HM Aircraft Carrier
VICTORIOUS and HM Cruiser BELFAST
to supplement Home Fleet units engaged
in
planned air
operations against German battleship
TIRPITZ in Altenfjord.
(Operation TUNGSTEN).
3rd
Provided
cover for Home Fleet units during
TUNGSTEN air attacks from carriers.
For details see CONVOY
! by
P Kemp. ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY
by C Barnett
and Naval Staff History..
May
Home Fleet deployment in continuation
including preparatory exercises and
bombardments
prior to
planned allied landings in Normandy
(Operation NEPTUNE).
June
Deployed at Scapa
Flow with Home Fleet units to provide Distant Cover of required to
support NEPTUNE operations should any enemy surface forces attempt interference via
NW Approaches.
16th
Deployed
with HM Destroyer WHELP in support of
replenishment operation for allied
garrison at Spitzbergen.
(Operation GEARBOX
Series.)
25th
On completion of GEARBOX resumed Home
Fleet duties at Scapa
Flow.
July
17th
Provided
cover for series of air strikes on
TIRPITZ by HM Aircraft Carriers
FORMIDABLE, INDEFATIGABLE and FURIOUS
with HMS DUKE OF YORK,
HM
Cruisers KENT
and BELLONA (Operation MASCOT – See
above references.)
August
17th
Deployed
as part of escort for Russian Convoy
JW59 with HM Escort Aircraft Carriers
STRIKER and VINDEX screened by HM
Destroyers CAPRICE, MARNE,
METEOR,
MILNE and
MUSKETEER.
(Note: The Russian battleship
ARCHANGELSK (Ex HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN on
loan to
Soviet Northern Fleet) also sailed with
this convoy, See CONVOYS TO
RUSSIA
and CONVOY !)
28th
Sailed from Kola Inlet as escort for
return Convoy RA59A
during passage to UK.
September
5th
Detached
from RA59A with same ships and resumed
Home Fleet duties at Scapa
Flow.
15th
Deployed
with HM Destroyers ORWELL and OBEDIENT
for support of allied garrison
at Spitzbergen
(Operation GEARBOX Series).
October
Passage to Portsmouth
to prepare for refit.
16th
Taken
in hand by HM Dockyard Portsmouth
for refit prior to planned deployment
with
British Pacific Fleet..
(Note: Work undertaken included:
Replacement of X
Turret by two 2Pdr
Pom-Pom
mountings.
Aircraft Warning, Surface Warning and
Fire Control Radar outfits modernised.
(Note: For details of development and
use of radar in RN see RADAR AT SEA
by D Howse
Aircraft Homing Beacon fitted.
November
Under refit
to
December
1
9 4 5
January
Under refit
to
April
May
Post refit
trials
and prepared for Royal visit.
June
6th
Embarked
HM King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at
Portsmouth
for visit to Channel
Islands, escorted by HM Destroyers FAULKNOR, CAESAR, IMPULSIVE and
BRILLIANT. Returned
to Portsmouth
with escort on completion of visit.
July
Preparations for foreign
service in continuation.
August
On completion of Shakedown, Weapon
Trials and
Calibrations in Channel area took
passage to Plymouth
